The Horse-Eels Of Connemara

[BIAD]

To assume the bodies of water around Connemara are of a significant size that may reflect thoughts of Loch Ness, would
be an error, many of the Irish loughs are nothing more than pools that draw their volumes from the surrounding mountains
and geographical effects of regular precipitation. Some may be a mile-or-so long, but a few are even smaller and are often
only visited due to peat gathering and livestock-herding by locals.

One such small location of the alleged horse-eels is Lough Nahooin, a paltry mountain lake located in Leagaun and remote
from any major road and buildings. We're so close to the coast now that the single tributary of Nahooin empties straight into
a large inlet that leads to the Atlantic Ocean. In1948, two local men observed a strange object moving around in the lake.
Sadly a description was lacking until 1968 when a family known as the Coynes described an incident involving one of
these aquatic mysteries.

Around seven in the evening on February 22, 1968, farmer and marble quarry worker Stephen Coyne set off to gather dry
peat near Lough Nahooin with his son and the family dog. As he approached the peat bed Stephen spotted a black object
amongst a patch of reeds within the lake. Thinking the wading shape was nothing more than his dog, Stephen whistled
for it to come out of the sodden foliage and then frowned as the Coyne's pet appeared on the bank nearby.

Seeing the object in the reeds, the dog began barking and with the noise, the stationary shape started to move in response
to the baying. Mr Coyne had shot seals and otters on several occasions, but Stephen and his eldest offspring could clearly
see the large animal belonged to neither of these species.

It had a black head rounded "like a kettle" and blended smoothly upon a neck an estimated nine inches to a foot in diameter.
The skin was black, hairless and slick-looking very much in the same fashion as an eel's. Seemingly annoyed at the dog's
continual barking and running about the bank, the creature left the refuge of the reeds and began swimming around Lough
Nahooin as if attempting to confront the loud canine.

Seeing the unknown animal's mouth was agape as if angry, Stephen arrived at the dog's side for support and his
action caused the creature to resume its aimless swimming around the lough. The trio on the bank noticed that
whenever this paddling thing would duck its head underwater, two humps would come into view and a flat tail was
also seen on occasion jutting out near its head.


The creature reportedly seen by the Coynes.

Stephen ordered his son to rush home to fetch a camera, but discovering the device lack film, the boy returned with
his mother and additional siblings to witness the scene. Seven people stood beside the lough and watched the abnormal
sight, but it was Mrs Coyne who detected protrusions on the creature's head that she later called 'horns'. The beast kept
up its patrolling back and forth across the lake for the better part of an hour until finally the Coynes felt they'd seen
enough and returned home.

Stephen Coyne preceded this account with a tale from some time in the fifties, where he and his brother had seen what they
initially believed was a black heifer cow that had fallen into Lough Nahooin. With the animal seemingly rolling over in the
water and showing a white underbelly, the brothers were lost to what they were witnessing. Later, Coyne told a researcher
that that the animal seemed as wide as the investigator's car.
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As EndTheMadnessNow refers to in the post above, a chap from around the isolated moors of Lough Nahooin called Thomas
Connelly was interviewed by a Journalist interested in these enigmatic animals of the loughs. Fredrick William Holiday took
it upon himself to investigate the strange tales that seemed to have endured for centuries. Thomas Connelly provided a fair
amount of information that assisted in filling Holiday's book 'The Dragon and the Disc'.

The incident took place in early September of 1969 at around five o'clock in the evening when Tom Connelly was searching
for some sheep in the mountains near Lough Nahooin. Upon nearing the lake, Connelly spotted an object on the shore about
fourteen feet from the water. The prone figure was described as very long and with a width of two-two and a half feet and
of a size larger than a mare's foal. Thomas added that the object was very black and had four stumpy legs.

Noticing the animal was moving down towards the water in a sliding motion Thomas Connelly stated it was "like you slide a
log". The unknown creature then entered the lough with a splash on both sides of it before submerging after a few seconds.
Connelly appended that he was often around the area but had never seen such a thing before, a comment that should rule
out any suggestion of a venturesome seal or a resting otter.
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Killarney National Park is south from the above locations in the county of Kerry and generally known for three lakes, Lough
Leane, Muckross Lake (Middle) and Upper Lake. Muckross is seen as the deepest lale in Ireland with depths up to almost
two hundred and fifty feet in parts. The area is abound with spectacular scenic views, glimpses of Red Deer -the largest
herd in Ireland and boulder-tumbling streams.

In a rarely-visited mountain-surrounded valley in the National Park, where sheep are the preponderance of flinty moorland,
there's another lesser-known pool of water named Lough Brin. Again and just like most loughs of this part of the Emerald
Isle, meandering streams eventually spill out into bays and the North Atlantic. Lough Brin is no different and empties at
Blackwater Bridge.


Lough Brin.

Many years ago, an odd tale arose of a twelve year old boy who was surprised to find a strange animal lazing on the shore
of Lough Brin. The puzzling creature was described as black and had four short legs. However no other elucidation came forth.

In an eighteen-ninety-three book by William Richard Le Fanu titled 'Seventy Years of Irish Life', another yarn came to light
regarding a boy who was bitten on the back by a "dreadful wurrum" while he bathed around Lough Brin. The injured and
terrified child arrived home naked and bleeding claiming the beast had hunted him all the way home.
This creature was described as something like the form of a donkey.

(To Be Continued)